First Round Qualifying: CANCELLED due to the NYC/Wash DC/PA Tragedies, Qualifying is set as follows:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points as of Sept 13th, 2001
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Winston Cup Champions not in by steps 1 and 2
#4) - Qualifying Attempts with Owners points as the tie breaker
(so if one owner has 4 qualifying attempts and one has 3 attempts but has more Owners points the owner with 4 attempts makes the race), Owners Points and Attempts can be seen on my Provisional Page(9-11-2001)

PAST WINNERS of the 2nd Race at NHIS

RACE BONUS INFO

The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $80,000 at Loudon for leading the points and winning the race (Jeff Gordon last won the award, $10,000 at Watkins Glen on Aug 12, 2001). The $360,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point
standings(11-18-2001)

IN-CAR AUDIO SITES

Fans Can Online(NASCAR Online)
looks like this is all that there is out there now....

PREVIEW, FACT SHEETS and MISC News

Penalty? Officials could assess a penalty on [#31 Robby] Gordon and his crew for using "old" tires in the closing laps. A NASCAR rule, dating to the days when teams would soak tires in softening chemicals for extra speed, appears to require teams to finish the race on tires actually mounted at the track, according Andy Graves, manager of Marlin's runner-up [#40] team. Gordon finished the race on a set of tires that had been originally mounted at Martinsville last month; the tires would have been slightly harder than fresher tires - normally that would be a significant disadvantage, but here, on a day when tires were actually too soft, older and harder tires would have been a bit of an edge, not in speed but durability. NASCAR officials offered no word on the issue.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-24-2001)

Practice is over at NHIS: Cup practice at NHIS for the New Hampshire 300 ran from 8:30 - 9:15am/et this morning. #20-Tony Stewart was the fastest with a speed of 130.336mph with #6-Mark Martin 2nd at 130.024 and #99-Jeff Burton third at 129.807. Slowest were #14-Ron Hornaday at 127.261 and #4-Bobby Hamilton, Jr at 127.261 of the 42 drivers/cars there. See for Friday's practice speeds(11-23-2001)

Weather forecast for Loudon, New Hampshire by The Weather Channel, just thought readers would like to see and keep track of the weather there (when the postponed race is to be run at 12:00noon/et on NBC). BTW: the average high temperature for Nov 23rd in the Loudon, NH area is 43°F, while the average low is 23°F. The record low was -1°F in 1972 and the high was a balmy 73°F in 1931. The current forcast for Friday, Nov 23rd is: Partly Cloudy with a high of 53°F and a low of 31°F (as of 11-23-2001)TODAY: current weather as of 11:51am/et is 46°F and Mostly Sunny, no rain on the radar

Media Coverage of the New Hampshire 300: the race is scheduled to start at 12:00noon/et. NBC will supply LIVE TV coverage (except some area's, see below for some). MRN Radio will air the race via radio and the internet at NASCAR.com. And NASCAR.com will have live scoring at their site www.NASCAR.com. Re-Air date? is on TNT Tuesday, Nov 27th, 1:00am/et(11-23-2001)

NHIS TV Tape Delay: All NBC West Coast affiliates will air the New Hampshire 300 tape-delayed. In most areas, the race will not air until 10:00am/et (actual starting time is 9:00am/pt or 12:00noon/et), a one-hour tape delay. In Seattle, the race will not start until 10:30am/et because of Bon Marche Holiday Parade coverage(MotorsportsTV)(11-20-2001)

NHIS Facts: Jeff Gordon (1998) is the only driver to win a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at New Hampshire from the Bud Pole. Four drivers have won at New Hampshire from a top-five starting position. Jeff Gordon is the only driver that has led in nine of the 13 New Hampshire races. Jeff Burton led the most laps en route to victory in the 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 and again in the 1998 Jiffy Lube 300. He scored his third straight Jiffy Lube 300 victory in July 1999, but did not lead the most laps then led all 300 laps in posting his fourth victory at New Hampshire in the 2000 Dura-Lube 300. Fifteen different drivers led during the 1996 Jiffy Lube 300, the record for the most leaders in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at New Hampshire(NASCAR PR)(11-20-2001)

NHIS Line-up: see my STARTING LINEUP page, NASCAR.com has a different lineup (the official lineup), WHY? they have the drivers replacements for the team listed as the team stood in Owners Points back on Sept 13th, my line-up shows where the drivers will lineup, including the cars that will have to fall to the rear of the field at the start who have changed drivers since. NASCAR.com also has the #27 Eel River Racing team listed as TBA, so maybe they will show up to run the race. If any teams decide to skip the race, the slot will not be filled and the field will run short. See my Starting Lineup page for an explanation from NASCAR. So basically the NASCAR.com lineup is the drivers and their official starting spots, and mine the what the field should look like when they take the green flag after falling to the rear of the field for changing drivers, what NASCAR.com and Thatracin.com have will be used in the Ave Start stats. Should any team fail to show up at this event, NASCAR will not fill that team's vacancy(11-19-2001)UPDATE: what will happen: The starting lineup will not change. However, if there has been a driver change, that car will have to drop to the rear prior to the start of the race. So my lineup page is the way it'll look after they drop to the back, NASCAR.com's and Thatsracin.com's lineup is the OFFICIAL Lineup and will be used in any stats as the drivers 'official' starting spot(11-23-2001)

New Hampshire 300 Update: Been asked a few questions, got some answers about the lineup for the postponed New Hampshire 300 on Nov 23rd. Since the NHIS race was postponed, no qualifying attempts were made. Therefore, teams will obtain another provisional at the 32nd event of the year which will now be Phoenix, rather than Talladega (which would had been the 32nd race before the postponement). And the field for NHIS has been set. Should any team fail to show up at this event, NASCAR will not fill that team's vacancy. Therefore, a team doesn't show up (like the #27 that has suspended operations), NASCAR would start the race with less the 43 cars normally run in a Cup race. Any teams that have replaced drivers ( like the #4, #7, #12 and #31 teams) or will replace drivers in the timeframe between now and Nov 23rd, the new driver will start in the car, the field is set on Owners Points NOT Drivers Points, but will have to drop to the rear at the start of the race. For more info on the race at my New Hampshire 300 Starting Lineup page(10-3-2001)

NHIS Schedule: The schedule has been announced for the New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire. The event, originally set to run on September 16, has been rescheduled for Friday, November 23. On track activities will begin on Friday, November 23 at 8:30am/et, as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams will have a 45-minute practice session. Pre-race activities will commence at 11:00am/et with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver introductions starting at 11:30am. At 12noon/et, #24-Jeff Gordon and #28-Ricky Rudd will lead a field of 43 starters to the green flag for the start of the New Hampshire 300, the final event of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The starting line-up for the New Hampshire 300 was determined by the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Owner Point Standings prior to September 16 in accordance with the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rule Book. Speedway gates will be open
at 6:00am/et on Friday, November 23. All reserved grandstand tickets originally issued for the September 16 event date will be honored. For additional race information, please visit the Speedway's website at www.nhis.com or please call Speedway Guest Services at (603) 783-4931.(NHIS PR)(10-2-2001)

QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTSnews and links

Robby Gordon wins at New Hampshire: #24-Jeff Gordon dominated the race but after an altercation with #31-Robby Gordon and Robby bumping Jeff, Jeff retaliated and got black flagged, Robby went on and won the race, his first ever Winston Cup start (in 62 starts). Robby Gordon is the 5th first time winner in 2001, the first points win for Lowe's as a sponsor (and their last one as the sponsor of the #31) and for the #31 RCR team. Robby Gordon is also the 19th different winner in 2001, which ties the all-time record. See for the New Hampshire 300 Results and for Winston Cup drivers points. Robby Gordon also announced that all the winnings from the race will be donated to the NYC Firemans fund. Gordon is now the 160th driver to win a Cup race in 1957 races(11-23-2001)

NHIS Line-up: see NASCAR.com or for the starting lineup of the New Hampshire 300(11-19-2001)UPDATE: didn't happen, sorry folks. But NASCAR did not send anyone back to the end for a driver change as I was told would happen, so my lineup page is pretty much......incorrect(11-23-2001)

Race Postponed until Nov 23rd: hearing from good sources that the New Hampshire race has been postponed (NOT cancelled) from this weekend until Friday, November 23rd, 2001 (day after Thanksgiving and it'll be cold). The field will be set by Owners Points and it will be a one day event(9-13-2001 1:25pm/et)UPDATE: NASCAR's Winston Cup race in New Hampshire on Sunday was postponed because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The move to put off the New Hampshire 300, announced by the speedway's owner, followed a decision by the NFL to scrap its games for this Sunday. The race was rescheduled for Friday, Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving with a start time of 11:00am/et. "It was NASCAR's decision, but we agreed with them 100 percent," track owner Bob Bahre said. "We hated to cancel [postponed not canceled], but at the same time you have to think of the people, all the problems they have in New York. I think all our fans will understand, and we'll honor all their tickets," Bahre said. About 4,000 fans in mobile homes already had arrived at the track, some of them as early as last Saturday. The race, the second of the season at the 1-mile oval, attracts about 100,000 fans. It was only the second non-weather postponement for NASCAR in at least 30 years. The 1999 (actuallly it was the 1998 race, not 1999) Pepsi 400 in at Daytona International Speedway was postponed from July until October because of forest fires in central Florida.
see two columns at : Sunday's Winston Cup race postponed and NASCAR postpones N.H. race(9-13-2001 2:27pm/et)UPDATE 2: NASCAR has announced the postponement of Sunday's New Hampshire 300 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The race has been rescheduled for Friday, November 23. NASCAR also announced the cancellation of the New Hampshire 125 for Busch North Series cars and the New Hampshire 100 for Featherlite Modified Series. Speedway official announced that tickets for Sunday's New Hampshire 300 will be honored for the rescheduled race on November 23. They also announced that those having tickets for Saturday's Busch North Series and Featherlite Modified Series races can receive refunds by mail. The Speedway's mailing address for Saturday refunds is:
New Hampshire International Speedway
P.O. Box 7888
Loudon, NH 03307
Gary Bahre, NHIS President said, "We fully support NASCAR's decision to postpone the race. We regret the tragic circumstances that made the postponement necessary, but we truly understand the decision, and our hearts go out to those who have suffered losses." Mike Helton, NASCAR President said, "We join the nation in mourning those who lost their lives and pray that those wounded will fully recover." The starting line-up for the New Hampshire 300 has already been set according to the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book and will be used for the rescheduled race(NHIS PR)Starting Lineup: NASCAR announced that there would be no qualifying and that the field would be lined up according to the points and procedures announced last Tuesday, not according to the points at the time of the rescheduled race(SpeedVision). See the starting lineup on my New Hampshire 400 Starting Lineup page (since the fields is set by Owners Points not Drivers Points, if a driver change is made by Nov 2001, the car will start in the same spot with the new driver).
NOTE: Last year, the high temperatures on the weekend after Thanksgiving in the region were in the 20s. ALSO - This is all I know or has been reported, no word on exact schedule for the postponed race has been posted as of yet(9-14-2001)

Race Still on at the Moment UPDATE 3 Travel Info: Still early to tell but NBC6 Sports/On Track from Lowe's Motor Speedway show from Charlotte, NC reports that a NHIS track official says NASCAR has informed them that "everything is still going on as scheduled" at Loudon (for the New Hampshire 300 Cup race) this weekend as of 2:00pm/et today and NASCAR says "As of right now, everything is on, but we will continue to evaluate the situation." So far Major League Baseball has postponed tonight's games, hearing the NHRA has postponed this weekends event. CART, IRL, NFL, and other leagues are discussing plans for the weekend. See another story at ESPN: Sports world reacts quickly to attacksUPDATE: As of Tuesday afternoon, the planned Winston Cup race Sunday at New Hampshire International Raceway in Loudon, N.H., remains on schedule. NASCAR officials continue to discuss the fate of the race, which has been put in doubt by the tragic terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington. Air travel - the primary means by which series officials and competitors would travel to the race - remains stopped (until Thursday, Sept 13th unknown time - as of now). Should the race be canceled, it is unclear what would happen to the event. There are no off-weekends remaining in the 2001 schedule until after the Nov. 18 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.()(9-11/12-2001)UPDATE 2: A NASCAR spokesman Wednesday afternoon said the sanctioning body “is hopeful of making a decision within the next 24 hours” on whether or not Sunday’s Winston Cup New Hampshire 300 would take place at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.(NASCAR.com), FSN's Totally NASCAR reoported that a decision would be made by 12noon/et on Thursday, Sept 13th(9-12-2001)UPDATE 3 - TRAVEL INFO: With the possibility of racing resuming this weekend, NASCAR.com collected some travel information and advice for those fans making the journey to Texas on Saturday for the Truck Series’s Silverado 350 and the Cup’s New Hampshire 300 on Sunday in Loudon. See NASCAR.com for Weekend travel information(9-13-2001)

New Hampshire Qualifying Cancelled - The Lineup: Activities scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14 at New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H., for NASCAR.s Winston Cup Series have been cancelled, officials announced today. Qualifying for Sunday.s New Hampshire 300 was scheduled for Friday. The 43-car field for Sunday's New Hampshire 300 will be set according to the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book. "Our country has experienced a terrible tragedy today," said NASCAR.s President, Mike Helton. "All of the NASCAR community offers our sincerest sympathies to all those who have suffered losses. We will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation and make the appropriate decisions as the week progresses." At this time, Saturday and Sunday track activities remain unchanged(NASCAR PR). Qualifying will be set as follows:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Winston Cup Champions not in by steps 1 and 2
#4) - Qualifying Attempts with Owners points as the tie breaker
(so if one owner has 4 qualifying attempts and one has 3 attempts but has more Owners points the owner with 4 attempts makes the race), Owners Points and Attempts can be seen on my Provisional Page(9-11-2001)THE LINEUP: if the race at NHIS is run on Sunday, September 16th, see the New Hampshire 300 Lineup Page, NASCAR.com has an entry list posted (Entry List Link), which inlcuded three teams/drivers who did not make the tentative lineup: #13-Hermie Sadler, #89-Morgan Shepherd and #98-TBA(which was going to be Kenny Wallace before he took over the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for injured Steve Park), these teams didn't have enough race attempts to make the race(9-12-2001)

Fox sorces say race will be cancelled: Although sources have indicated to FOX Sports Net's Totally NASCAR that Sunday's Winston Cup race at Loudon, N.H., will be cancelled, NASCAR announced only Friday's qualifying at Loudon is cancelled(see story above). If the Winston Cup Series does race at Loudon Sunday, the starting order will be set by point standings. Totally NASCAR's staff contacted every Winston Cup and Busch Series team Tuesday, except PPI Racing with Winston Cup drivers Andy Houston and Ricky Craven. Everyone is accounted for and safe. The only person outside the United States is car owner Richard Childress, who is in British Columbia, Canada. A test at the new Kansas Speedway was cancelled this morning. All teams, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Labonte, are driving the nearly 1,000 miles between the Kansas City, Kan. facility and their Charlotte, N.C. team headquarters. Tuesday's edition of Totally NASCAR has been cancelled due to the attacks on the United States. For complete coverage of the NASCAR community's reaction to this tragedy, tune in to FOX Sports Net at 6 p.m. local on Wednesday.(FoxSports)(9-11-2001)

But: The horrifying terrorist attacks on the United States Tuesday morning are obviously still being sorted out and will likely take a good bit of time to unravel, and while it may seem trivial, we [SpeedVision] must report that the attack, and the subsequent shutdown of airports nationwide, may take its toll on the weekend’s racing action. NASCAR was to be in Loudon, New Hampshire, while CART is heading overseas to England, the Indy Racing League is readying for its season finale in Texas and the Grand-Am road racing series is also prepping for its last race of the year in Daytona. All of the series are at least discussing the possible cancellation of this weekend’s events as everyone watches to see how the events unfold. NASCAR officials, like all others in America, were aghast and shocked at the terrorist actions in New York and elsewhere Tuesday morning and were watching developments with concern. "We, like everybody else, are glued to the TV," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice-president for communications. Motorsport events, such as press conferences and public appearances, were immediately canceled as the enormity of the disasters became known. Hunter said NASCAR's office in New York, midtown at 375 Park Avenue, was not directly affected. "Everybody's fine there," Hunter said. "Of course, they can't get off the island. Some are still in the office. Some went over to the Waldorf, where they have some rooms. They told us quite a number of the New York employees had relatives working [at the World Trade Center]." Hunter also said NASCAR is in discussions with the Bahre family, owners of the New Hampshire International Speedway, site of this weekend's scheduled Winston Cup event, and that decisions about that race likely would be made later Tuesday. "We talking to the Bahres," he said. "We've talked to them twice. We're going to keep monitoring it, then decide what to do."(SpeedVision)(9-11-2001)

Back to 2 laps UPDATE: it was announced at the beginning of CNN/SI's qualifying coverage that qualifying would go back to 2 laps of qualifying at all Super Speedways (1 mile or more) starting this week at Michigan. So I guess that means 2 laps is back for all the tracks since 2 laps were going to be the cast at the two short tracks and restrictor plate tracks. All but the road courses which there will be no more in 2001(8-17-2001)UPDATE: NASCAR officials have changed their minds again and gone back to two laps during its single round of qualifying. NASCAR announced at Daytona in early July that qualifying would be reduced to a single lap at tracks of 1-mile or longer except for Daytona and Talladega, beginning at New Hampshire on July 22. Teams ran two laps at New Hampshire, however, because of a new sealer that had been applied to the track's surface. The cars then ran one lap for three races, but after complaints from the teams that a single lap prevented them from overcoming a mistake, the policy has been changed again and cars can now once more run a second lap if they choose()(8-18-2001)

Qualifying Rules Changed UPDATE: ESPN2's RPM 2Night mentioned tonight that starting at New Hampshire that qualifying would consist of one lap of qualifying instead of the two laps that have been run this year. The exceptions are tracks smaller then one mile (Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville) and the two restrictor plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega(7-5-2001)UPDATE: it was mentioned on FSN's Totally NASCAR show on Thurs that the Cup drivers would run 2 laps of Qualifying for the New England 300 at New Hampshire. The plan is to still have one lap of qualifying at all intermediate tracks (1 to 2 miles in length) but the format will be determined in a track-to-track basis for the rest of the season(7-19-2001)

an interesting point: When NASCAR officials decided to disallow Jerry Nadeau's qualifying time at Daytona in Feb 2001, it raised an interesting question. With the Winston Cup series having only one round of qualifying the rest of the season, what happens if an unapproved part is found? According to NASCAR, drivers no longer have to post an official qualifying time to use a provisional, they only have to practice. So a driver could have a penalty on a qualifying issue but still have access to one of the seven provisionals for the race(Richmond Times Dispatch)(2-11-2001)

How to break a tie during qualifying?(same speed/time) When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski's Provisional Status page

TRACK/RACE NEWS

NHIS Grand Marshal: Brad Whitford, rhythm guitarist for the rock band Aerosmith, has been named Grand Marshal for the New Hampshire 300. Whitford will issue the command to start engines to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers just prior to the noon start of the New Hampshire 300. "As a New England native, it's great to have a major league facility such as New Hampshire International Speedway in our area and to have the opportunity of seeing the world' s best racers here," Whitford said. "I can't wait to see the action at NHIS on Friday."(NHIS PR)(11-21-2001)

NHIS Track Info: Guests will not be allowed into the grandstand area until Friday, November 23 at 6 am. - Grandstand tickets for September 16 will be honored on November 23. (No new tickets will be issued) - Self-contained RV's will be allowed on the grounds starting Sunday, November 18 at noon. Reserved RV's will be allowed starting Wednesday, November 21 at 8:00 am. - Coolers, backpacks, purses, and bags will be allowed but subject to searches. (Coolers larger than 14"x14"x14" will be prohibited and glass is not allowed). - Handicapped parking will be provided with vehicles displaying the state issued plate or placard which hangs from the rear-view mirror. All parking lots will open at 5:00am on Friday, November 23rd(11-20-2001)

Air Dam Rules Change: A technical bulletin to Winston Cup teams allows Fords to add one-half inch to the air dams of their race cars while removing one inch from the two-inch extension given to Dodges in August. But no change was made to the Pontiac Grand Prix (or the Chevy Monte Carlo) by Tuesday's NASCAR bulletin.() AND On Tuesday, NASCAR officials informed teams that, effective immediately, the Ford Taurus will receive a half-inch kickout on its nose, while the Dodge Intrepid will have that same area reduced by one inch(NASCAR.com)(11-13-2001)

Tires at NHIS: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company announced today that the tires normally used at Martinsville will be the set for the delayed race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The tire codes used at Martinsville are D-5692 for the left side tires and D-5704 on the right side.(SpeedVision)(10-13-2001)

NHIS in Nov Not NBC's Choice? UPDATE: Sources say it was not NBC's decision that prompted NASCAR to reschedule New Hampshire date to the Friday following Thanksgiving. Apparently someone in the NASCAR hierarchy has a daughter getting married that Saturday(Sporting News)(9-28-2001)UPDATE: There is confirmation that the stepdaughter of NASCAR president Mike Helton has a wedding planned for Saturday, Nov. 24, Thanksgiving weekend and one of the one or two weekends off NASCAR allows each year.(SpeedVision)(9-29-2001)AND: According to one television industry source, NBC officials don't want the blame for extending the season to the week of Thanksgiving, and the network is willing to drop the Loudon race if NASCAR gives the OK and returns the $30 million the network has already paid for the telecast. TV ad sales have been off this season across the board, and even with the popularity of Winston Cup racing, the networks aren't breaking even this year(Winston Salem Journal)(9-29-2001)

Jarrett comments on NH in Nov UPDATE 2 Helton comments: Dale Jarrett implored NASCAR to rethink its decision to race in New Hampshire on Nov. 23. "As good a tire as Goodyear makes, there’s no way we can make that hard tire hook up on that track in that kind of cold weather," Jarrett said. He also said he did not want to be away from home on Thanksgiving, calling it an important respite and a holiday that was meaningful to him. He proposed instead, that the New Hampshire race be held midweek between the events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 7 and Martinsville, Va., on Oct. 14. "Is there anyone who wants to go up there on Nov. 23?" he asked.(Gaston Gazette)(9-22-2001)UPDATE: NASCAR vice president for communications Jim Hunter said that NASCAR has no plans to reconsider its decision to run the New Hampshire 300, postponed from last weekend, on Nov. 23 - the day after Thanksgiving. "As much as I hate to miss Thanksgiving with my family, I plan to be in New Hampshire," Hunter said. "We made that decision after thinking things through. We thought it was the best overall decision knowing that a lot of people are going to be inconvenienced." Hunter said NASCAR would continue to look at its scheduling options and how it might be able to avoid a similar problem in the future. The final 20 races of the 2002 season, however, are scheduled for 20 consecutive weekends just as they were this year.()(9-22-2001)AND see a column at the Winston Salem Journal: NASCAR Mutiny? - Winston Cup teams are rebelling against new date for Loudon raceand Practice? Winston Cup series director Gary Nelson he expects teams competing in the one-day season finale Nov. 23 at New Hampshire will be allowed some practice time earlier that morning. Several drivers have been critical of NASCAR's decision to hold the race on Thanksgiving weekend, after postponing the event last weekend following terrorist attacks Sept. 11 in New York City and Washington()(9-23-2001)UPDATE 2: NASCAR President Mike Helton, growing tired of increasing criticism from race team members regarding the rescheduled New Hampshire race now planned for Thanksgiving weekend, tried to put the talk to rest during Sunday's prerace driver and crew chief meeting. "We will be racing on Friday, Nov. 23 in New Hampshire," Helton said sternly. "We had to make a decision and we are sticking to it."()(9-24-2001)

NHIS Sold? to be reconfigured? lose a date? UPDATE 2 DENIED: hearing rumors once again that NHIS is going to be bought up by ISC (who owns Daytona IS and many other tracks NASCAR competes on) re-design NHIS into a more competitive track or move one of the race dates to another track(7-29-2001)UPDATE - IMS to buy, 2nd Indy or Chicagoland Date? Word is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation has purchased New Hampshire International Speedway from the Bahre family. IMSC, whose principal Tony George has long been an ally of NASCAR chairman of the board Bill France and the International Speedway Corporation, whose board France also heads; may take one of NHIS's NASCAR Winston Cup race dates and move it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, already the site of the lucrative Brickyard 400. Sources said the lone remaining Winston Cup event at NHIS would be held in the fall. The New Hampshire 300 -- the second Cup race at NHIS following the July 22 New England 300 -- is scheduled Sept. 16, 2001. Prior to the running of the July event, rumors of a sale were flying following reported "inventory" visits by several ISC higher-ups. At that weekend it was also noted by Bob Bahre, who built and operates the 1.058-mile NHIS with his son, Gary, that the annual NASCAR Busch Series event at NHIS would more than likely be moved to be held in conjunction with one of the Winston Cup events in 2002. Another possibility is raised by the partnership of IMSC and ISC in the operation of the Chicagoland could also be considered for a second date(NASCAR.com Buzz - for some reason NASCAR.com removed the story from their site, they now have a column up denying THEIR rumor)(8-15-2001)UPDATE 2 Sale Denied: A New Hampshire International Speedway spokesman on Wednesday denied an Internet report that the track was being sold to the owners of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I spoke to (track owner) Bob (Bahre) this morning and he said that's the first he's heard of it," said Fred Neergaard, public relations director at NHIS. "He said it is 100 percent false." The Bahre family owned track in Loudon, N.H., is a frequent subject of sale rumors. This latest one was reported on NASCAR.com and included speculation that the Indianapolis track's owners would take one of New Hampshire's Winston Cup dates to Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Chicagoland Speedway, in which the IMS company and International Speedway Corp. are partners. ISC is the company that owns tracks like Daytona, Talladega and Darlington and is a sister company to NASCAR. The Bahres, father Bob and son Gary, also own half interest in the track in North Wilkesboro, which sits idle because Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns the other half and the neither Smith nor the Bahres want to run that track without controlling interest.()(8-15-2001)

NHIS BGN race moved to September: Race car fans will only have to travel to Loudon for two weekends next year: The New Hampshire International Speedway will hold its BGN race, normally a May event, in September, the day before the New Hampshire 300. Owner Bob Bahre said the track moved the event to save fans and NASCAR inspectors the hassle of traveling to Loudon three times a year. In addition to moving the BGN race, the May Busch North Series race was eliminated entirely because the other two race weekends of the year already had Busch North Series events scheduled. NASCAR has not released the official schedule for next year, but Bahre said the speedway had already signed its contracts with the organization.(Concord Monitor), no exact date given for the BGN or Cup races(7-31-2001)

How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

Special #29 Scheme: The Hershey Foods Corporation is putting its newest candy bar creation - Reese's FastBreak - on the fast track with Hershey's Racing driver Kevin Harvick. Reese's FastBreak candy bar will break into Winston Cup racing on the #29 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Monte Carlo, driven by Harvick and owned by Richard Childress Racing (RCR), on November 23, 2001, at the New Hampshire 300. Hershey is celebrating the November introduction of Reese's FastBreak with a one-time version of the #29 Chevrolet sporting the Reese's FastBreak logo and a special color scheme featuring the Reese's FastBreak design(RCR PR/Site)(11-19-2001)

DeWalt and Watch The Bulls, Win the Tools: DeWalt Industrial Tools has partnered with the Professional Bull Riders Association (PBR) and NBC Sports to create the "Watch The Bulls, Win the Tools" promotion. DeWalt will use its NASCAR Winston Cup sponsorship of the #17 DeWalt Power Tools Ford Taurus to advertise the November 25th live telecast of the PBR Bud Light Challenge on NBC. The #17 DeWalt Ford, driven by Matt Kenseth, will sport the PBR World Challenge and NBC Sports logos on the hood of the car. NBC announcers will promote the event as Kenseth vies for a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway and New Hampshire International Speedway. The "Watch the Bulls, Win the Tools" promotion will allow race viewers a chance to enter to win $5,000 in DeWalt Power Tools. Viewers will be given a password at the World Challenge intermission and will have to log on to www.dewalt.com/pbr in order to register to win. DeWalt is thrilled about the partnership and the opportunity to combine two
successful organizations, NASCAR and the PBR.(Grandstand PR)(11-15-2001)

STATS and STUFF

Hamilton - 37 races - no DNF UPDATE: #55-Bobby Hamilton has been running at the end of 37 consecutive races(counting last season since he DNF'd at Phoenix), which is the circuit's longest active streak. No other drivers have made all the races in 2001 and not DNF'd(did not finish). See my DNF Page for past DNF's and who has the most.(11-18-2001)

Top Fives: There have been 34 different Cup drivers (none to add at Atlanta) who have scored a Top-5 so far in 2001....2000's total was 28, 1999's total was 28 and 1998's total number was 27(11-18-2001)

Top Tens: There have been 45 different Cup drivers (none to add at Atlanta) who have scored a Top-10 in 2001.....2000's total was 41, 1999's total was 40 and 1998's total number was 41(11-18-2001)

Provisional Finishes in 2001: In 231 provisional starts (33 races x 7 no qualifying at Darlington 3/2001 or Dover 6/2001), drivers have accumulated 2 Wins, 15 Top 5's and 34 Top 10's. #18-Bobby Labonte was the highest provisional starter/finisher at Atlanta with a WIN, #29-Harvick was 3rd and #25-Nadeau was 4th. See my Provisional Finishes Page for each race finish by the provisionals starters(11-18-2001)

No Laps Lead by Labonte yet: #5-Terry Labonte remains the only driver to race in all 35 events this season and not lead at least one lap. The last time Labonte led a lap was the Winston 500 last October at Talladega. 48 drivers have now led laps, add #45-Kyle Petty at Atlanta. See the Bonus Points/Laps Led page(11-18-2001)

Consecutive Winston Cup Starts: Ricky Rudd is the current leader with with 643 consecutive starts followed by Rusty Wallace at 552, Ken Schrader with 522 and Mark Martin has 436 consecutive Cup starts. Terry Labonte had 655 (and holds the all time record) but sat out the 2000 Brickyard 400 to end his record streak. Dale Earnhardt had 648 consecutive Winston Cup starts until his death at Daytona(11-18-2001)

2000 winners who have not won in 2001: Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Matt Kenseth and Jerry Nadeau. Terry Labonte and John Andretti earned victories in 1999 and have not won since.(11-18-2001)

No Top Fives Since.... It has been a while since some drivers have had a top five finish on the Winston Cup circuit. Here are those with the longest streak of races without a top-five finish:

18th Different Winner in 2001 a record UPDATE 5 add Elliott: when #22-Ward Burton won the 2001 Southern 500, he became the 15th different Winston Cup winner in 2001, which breaks the record for NASCAR's modern era (which began in 1972) of 14 set in 2000 and 1991. Winners in 2001: #15-Waltrip, #1-Park, #24-Gordon, #29-Harvick, #88-Jarrett, #21-Sadler, #55-Hamilton, #2-Wallace, #20-Stewart, #99-Burton, #28-Rudd, #18-Labonte, #40-Marlin, #22-Burton, #8-Earnhardt Jr.(9-2-2001)UPDATE - Make it 16 in 2001: #32-Ricky Craven becomes the 16th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the record(10-15-2001)UPDATE 2 - Make it 17 in 2001: #33-Joe Nemechek becomes the 17th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the record(11-4-2001)UPDATE 3 - ties an all time record from 1956: there was one other year in which 17 drivers won races. Of course, they weren't called Winston Cup races. For most of NASCAR's history, the top division was called Grand National. In the early years, it was called Strictly Stock. Seventeen different drivers won races in 1956, 45 years ago. They were, in order of points standings and with number of wins in parentheses: Buck Baker (14), Speedy Thompson (8), Herb Thomas (5), Lee Petty (2), Jim Paschal (1), Billy Myers (2), Fireball Roberts (5), Ralph Moody (4), Tim Flock (4), Marvin Panch (1), Paul Goldsmith (1), Curtis Turner (1), Jack Smith (1), Lloyd Dane (2), Eddie Pagan (1), John Kieper (1) and Fonty Flock (1).(GoCarolinas/Monte Dutton)(11-8-2001)UPDATE 4: was informed that there are two more drivers who won in the 1956 season (which started in 1955) not listed above, Chuck Stevenson(Lancaster 11/55) and Royce Haggerty (8/56 at Portland OR), so that would be 19 drivers, which could be tied since there is two races to go. Also there were 19 different winners in 1958 and 1961(Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia)(11-10-2001)UPDATE 5: Make it 18 in 2001: #9-Bill Elliott becomes the 18th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the (modern era) record(11-11-2001)

1st Time winners - ties a record: The four first-time winners in 2001, #15-Michael Waltrip(Daytona), #29-Kevin Harvick(Atlanta), #21-Elliott Sadler(Bristol), #32-Ricky Craven(Martinsville), ties the record that was tied in 2000 when there were four first time winners: Dale Earnhardt Jr(Texas), Matt Kenseth(Lowes), Steve Park(Watkins Glen) and Jerry Nadeau(Atlanta), which previsouly was held in 1988 when the following won for the first time: Ken Schrader(Talladega), Alan Kulwicki(Phoenix), Phil Parsons(Talladega), and Lake Speed(Darlington). Parsons and Speed have not won in Cup since and are out of the series. Kulwicki died in an aircraft accident in 1993. Schrader is still active on the Cup circuit and has four career Cup wins(10-15-2001)

Interesting UPDATE: In the past four Winston Cup seasons, the top 10 in points after seven races has provided a good indication of which drivers will be in the top 10 at season's end - 33 of 40 drivers in the final top 10s were there seven races into the season: see the chart at : Signs of things to come?UPDATE: and an addition to the story: Others in early season points peril by David Poole(4-6-2001)

A Championship Outlook: Only five times in the modern era(1972-present) has the eventual champion not won in the first six races. The winners in the first 6 eaces this year: Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler. When did a driver win the Championship and not win a race in the first six? 1973-Benny Parsons; 1984 and 1996-Terry Labonte; 1985-Darrell Waltrip; and 1999-Dale Jarrett(3-25-2001)

Single Car Winner: Even though the #21 Wood Brothers team uses Roush chassis and engines, they are considered a single car team, and before Elliott Sadler's win at Bristol. The last time a single-car team scored a victory was by Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in September 1998(3-25-2001)

Hendrick Motorsports Double wins: Two drivers from Hendrick Motorsports have won at least one Winston Cup race for seven consecutive seasons. No other current multi-car team has done that.(Gordon 1994-2000, T Labonte 1994-1999 and Nadeau in 2000)(11-22-2000)

Four 1st Timers: The four first-time winners in 2000 was the most since 1988 when there were also four, those winners: Ken Schrader(Talladega), Alan Kulwicki(Phoenix), Phil Parsons(Talladega), and Lake Speed(Darlington). Parsons and Speed have not won in Cup since and are out of the series. Kulwicki died in an aircraft accident in 1993. Schrader is still active on the Cup circuit and has four career Cup wins. The winners in 2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr(Texas), Matt Kenseth(Lowes), Steve Park(Watkins Glen) and Jerry Nadeau(Atlanta)(11-21-2000)

43rd Fact: Last driver to win from the 43rd starting spot was Fonty Flock at Raleigh, NC in 1953, the only other driver to do so was Johnny Mantz in the 1950 Southern 500

Backstretch/Provisional/Backup Car Winner: Only two drivers in the history of Bristol had ever won a race after pitting on the backstretch. Davey Allison(started 19th) in the spring 1990 race and Dale Earnhardt(26th) in the 2nd 1999 race, and now #21-Elliott Sadler who came from 38th, pitting on the backstretch and having to use a provisional to make the race in a backup car only the 4th ever Provisional Starter to gain a win in a Cup race(3-25-2001)

Provisional Starting Winners: Jeff Burton was the first driver to win from a provisional starting spot EVER at New Hampshire in 1999 and that is the farthest back any driver has won from since Kyle Petty won from 37th at Dover in June 1995(in 1995 37th was not a provisional starting spot). Bill Elliott also won from 38th spot in the 1988 Pepsi 400. In fact ALL the provisional starters for the race finished in the top 25 at NHIS(7-11-1999)UPDATE: Add Bobby Labonte as the 2nd ever provisional winner by winning the 1999 NAPA 500 at Atlanta(11-21-1999)UPDATE 2: Add Bobby Labonte as the 3rd ever provisional winner by winning the 2000 Southern 500 at Darlington(9-3-2000)UPDATE 3: Add Elliott Sadler as the 4th ever provisional winner by winning the 2001 Food City 500 at Bristol(3-25-2001)UPDATE 4: Add Ward Burton as the 5th ever provisional winner by winning the 2001 Southern 500 at Darlington(9-2-2001)UPDATE 5: Add Bobby Labonte as the 6th ever provisional winner by winning the 2001 NAPA 500 at Atlanta(11-18-2001)

Championship and no poles? ever happen? With Dale Jarrett winning the Cup championship and not scoring any poles in 1999, I was asked, has it ever happened before? Yep, five times, most recently, in 1991 when Dale Earnhardt won the Winston Cup Championship with four wins and NO poles. It also happened in 1983-Bobby Allison; 1980-Earnhardt; 1973-Benny Parsons; and 1950-Bill Rexford(The Stock Car Racing Encyclodepia)(11-14/21-1999)

Stats: Only five times in NASCAR's modern era(1972-present) has the eventual champion not won by the sixth race of the season. Those champions were Benny Parsons in 1973, Terry Labonte in 1984 and 1996, Darrell Waltrip in 1985 and Dale Jarrett in 1999

Did ya know? When Bobby Labonte won the 2000 Winston Cup Championship, he
and his brother Terry, who won it in 1984 and 1996, have become the first brothers to do so in
Winston Cup history. There have been two father-son pairs; Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and
Dale Jarrett AND Bobby Labonte is the first former BGN champ(since the series began in
1982, not counting the old Sportsman division) to win the Winston Cup championship(11-12-2000)